Gadgets for Travel – or not….
- tr
Will you really need these things?
While bouncing around the internet (stumbleupon is a time munching monster) I came across a couple of travel gadgets which led me on to finding out what weird and wonderful things I could find to spend money that I haven’t got. Here are the fruits of my labours.
Power
I am not talking about Derren Brown tricks of the mind giving you the power to stop the scammers/rickshaw drivers screwing you over but rather the more basic requirement of keeping all your other gadgets running and topped up ready for that trek to Everest base camp.
This little Chargepod is actually useful, and I could see myself buying one of these before I set off. As well as the basic model for iPhone and cameras and games consoles, it has a very big brother which can do laptops too, although that is getting a bit pricey at $200.
Igo do an alternative, but limits you to one charging device at a time so not quite as useful as the chargepod.
Another handy device is this multi adaptor which when not in use is streamlined (all the pins are drawn back into the device – a Swiss army knife travel adapter so to speak. It will not therefore end up digging you in the back through your rucksack or getting tangled in everything else in your pack and just as a little bonus it even has a USB socket to charge stuff too .
Backpack protection
Now I had come across the pacsafe before but felt that using this device was akin to putting a neon sign on top saying c’mon have a go and see what valuables I am securing in this lightly imprisoned sack. You also know for sure that once you have unpacked your wire, encased and attached your bag to the nearest fixed anchor point you just know you are going to want to get something from the bottom of it.
I much prefer this little discreet device from Doberman . This bag protection is electronic and is called Doberman which makes me want it even more. I wonder if someone tries to get off with your bag the sound is of a growling dog who has just had its juicy bone taken away – I do hope so?
Whether you need any of these devices is debatable if you follow the normal rules of either using lockers provided in your accommodation or simply never let your bag our of your sight when travelling. I suppose its up to you.
Other odds n sods
No self-respecting traveller would leave home without a travel towel, there are many varieties but essential for those true budget accommodation options where the only extras you are likely to get are small creatures roaming your room or finding nice warm places in your mattress.
If photography is going to feature heavily in your travels then you really should not leave home without one of the now ubiquitous gorilla pods. They can be wrapped around any stable object or rested on any uneven surface to help you grab those night-time shots that you would never be able to capture without it. Oh and don’t forget if you are travelling alone, having one of these little fellas will allow you to self timer shots of you in front of that once in a lifetime view.
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